This week has seen a lot of activity in the CH office; we’ve reached a milestone with the iOS version of the Unity engine and we’re gearing up for its final development stage and release as we speak, we’re readying for some new additions to the team, there are some designs for new and exciting content coming to fruition and we’re putting the finishing touches to the Summer Event – The Shadows Over Beltane.
We’ve really been focussing on the iOS port since the Android Stress Tests and we’ve reached a point where not only do we have a good solid build but we’re also ready to give you a sneak peek Click the links below to see it in all its iPad-y, Unity-y (It’s a word!) glory.
Our aim is to give iOS players an identical experience visually to the Android port and much improved over the original iOS version. While both Android and iOS are now using the same engine each platform has its own unique challenges to overcome and we’ve made sure we’ve used the Android version to direct improvements to the iOS version. We‘ve got past the major hurdles in iOS development and now we’re in the final straight. There are still some pretty big jobs that need to be done, one of the most daunting will be to make sure that your current account info makes it safely over to the new engine. We’ve had one of our senior programmers looking at how we’ll do this as well as putting together a really solid test plan so we can do a dry run before release. Stay tuned for more information on when you can get your hands on it in the coming weeks.
The CH team has seen some new recruits welcomed in the past few months and we’re pleased to say we’re continuing that growth. We’re making space (Literally! We’ll be shifting desks around on Friday afternoon) for some talented design, programming and animation staff to join our ranks as we’ve got some big plans for the rest of the year once the iOS port is out. You’ve heard us mention Mounts and Crafting but we also have some great ideas for high-end combat content as well as more events and some improvements to the game that should provide much more challenging and varied quests. We’ve recruited a senior designer with a lot of experience with MMOs as well as mobile development and he’s especially focused on wider game mechanics and systems. He’ll be at the forefront of the Crafting and Mounts development ensuring they integrate seamlessly with and complement the existing game and leave plenty of opportunities for growth in the future for both of these features and others that we have waiting in the wings. We’re adding more coding talent to the team as well as a really great animator with plenty of experience from a world-renowned studio.
While new features are very exciting and add much to the game it’s also important to continually review and improve existing functionality. We’ve also got some improvements in the pipeline to the way you interact with the game to remove some potential frustrations and make a much more enjoyable experience. The UI hasn’t changed a great deal since launch and while a complete overhaul is a mammoth undertaking there are a few areas where the interactions could be smoother and more helpful. The inventory is one such area and we’re currently working on some usability improvements for it such as searching for particular items and sorting by name or slot. Those brave heroes that have collected a lot of loot should notice a difference in responsiveness too. Just a few small touches that will make a world of difference to some players. We will of course continue to listen to and collect your feedback to see where we can make further improvements on all platforms as soon as they are on an equal footing.
The art team have been very busy recently as well. When they’ve not been reworking areas for the Unity port they’ve taken a look at the general look and feel of the game’s graphics from the environments, characters and items to the animation and UI. The key strength of Celtic Heroes is its rich background of lore, myth and legend and they’ve been looking at styles and designs in order to give the world and its characters an even more unique and importantly consistent style that fits with this history. As we develop this direction further we’ll share concepts and screenshots on the forums, Facebook and the website but rest assured the world of Dal Riata will remain instantly recognisable to our established players but with a much more detailed and grounded style. We’re concentrating on Gelebron’s Tower at the moment to showcase this direction and approach and we think you’ll be very pleased with the results. We’ve already seen some really cool sketches that outline the mood and scale of the Tower and its denizens.
We’re also taking this opportunity to look at the way we create and add graphical elements to the game and as we improve this process we’ll be showcasing some of the artists and techniques we use so you can follow development more closely. We’ll also bring you more information on other aspects of the game’s development in the coming weeks such as what exactly do the support team do? How do the coders arrange all those 1s and 0s so precisely? How do the designers get an idea from their brains to the game?
What sort of things would you like to hear about? Are you interested in art, design, coding, the story and background of Dal Riata or the general daily madness that is life at OTM? Let us know and we’ll do our best to answer your questions, give you an insight into what we’re doing and get some exclusive behind the scenes updates.
